Sowing/Planting and Flowering/Harvesting Guide

Sow indoors, February-April, to flower the same year, 0.5cm (¼") deep, in a tray of compost. Water well and place on a warm kitchen windowsill. A temperature of 15-20°C (60-68°F) is ideal. Keep moist. Seedlings usually appear in 14-28 days. Transplant to other trays, 5cm (2") apart, when large enough to handle. Always hold by a leaf, never by the stem. Gradually accustom young plants to outside conditions (avoid frosts), before planting out into well-drained soil, May-October, 15cm (6") apart, when frosts are over. Or, sow thinly, outdoors, May-August to flower the following year, in a seed bed, 0.5cm (¼") deep, into finely-prepared, well-drained soil, which has already been watered. Thin seedlings to 5cm (2") apart, before planting out to flowering position from late summer onwards, spacing 15cm (6") apart. Flowers: May to October.

Remove dead heads to prolong the flowering season. A feed in late summer may keep plants in bloom well into the autumn.

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